Compiled by Dennis McMillan
San Francisco Becomes First City to Ban Public Spending in States with LGBT Hate Laws
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted in favor of Supervisor Scott Wiener’s legislation to prohibit City spending—travel, purchasing and contracting—in states that have passed LGBT hate laws. The legislation was drafted in response to discriminatory laws passed in states like North Carolina and Mississippi that target the LGBT community. The legislation will statutorily ban city-sponsored travel to states with LGBT hate laws, codifying Mayor Edwin Lee’s executive order, and will further make San Francisco the first jurisdiction to ban city-funded contracting with companies that are headquartered in these states, as well as purchase of goods and services produced in these states. The ordinance sets forth limited criteria for City Departments to seek exemption from the ban, including for public health and emergency crises, if there is only a single source that provides the service required, or for other issues that may be detrimental to the public interest. The ordinance also requires the City Administrator to create and maintain a covered state list that will be reviewed and updated biannually. sfgov.org
Men Visiting Folsom Street Fair Attacked
Friends Neil Frias and Jeff White of New York, who were in San Francisco for last weekend’s Folsom Street Fair, were attacked the Saturday night before the Fair outside of the McDonald’s at Golden Gate Avenue and Fillmore Street. The men report that five assailants pepper sprayed them as they shouted homophobic statements. “They were saying, ‘You fags are destroying family values,’” Frias told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I said I didn’t want any trouble, and one got out of the van. I thought he was going to take a swing at me, but he sprayed me across the face.” A second assailant sprayed Frias again, while a third initiated a physical attack. Luckily a nearby woman shouted that she was calling the police, after which the assailants took off in their minivan. sfgate.com
Volunteers Needed for Sunday’s Castro Street Fair
The Castro Street Fair is here to recruit you! Volunteers shifts are still available for Sunday’s 43rd Annual Castro Street Fair. Volunteers are needed to help with a variety of positions — including safety, production setup and breakdown, entry gate, information, stage decor, stage hand and stage breakdown. As an incentive, a portion of the proceeds from the Fair goes towards many local neighborhood organizations. When you sign up for a volunteer shift, you can designate which local group you’d like your volunteer hours to go towards. The Castro Street Fair is Sunday, October 2, from 11am–6pm. To volunteer, contact
volunteer@castrostreetfair.org
Lester Struggles, Trump Sniffs, Hillary Wins
From Hi Tops in the Castro to Everett & Jones BBQ at Jack London Square, members of our community and more watched the first presidential debate of 2016. Debate moderator and news anchor Lester Holt “served as bottom to Trump,” many wrote on social media, referring to Holt’s inability to control Donald Trump talking over his allotted time. Trump later accused Holt of asking “unfair” questions. Social media also lit up over Trump repeatedly sniffing loudly and drinking water, all while accusing Hillary Clinton of lacking stamina. Clinton, looking strong and over her recent bout of pneumonia, won the debate, a consensus of reviewers holds. As CNN put it, “Hillary Clinton takes round one.”
‘Gender-fluid’ Added to the Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary added 1,200 new words this week, including “gender-fluid.” The venerated keepers of the English language define the term as “(a) (in early use) not clearly or wholly male or female; androgynous; (b) designating a person who does not identify with a single fixed gender; of or relating to a person having or expressing a fluid or unfixed gender identity (now the usual sense).” Editor Katherine Martin told Time that of all the evolutions going on in the English language, she sees the “speed at which the English language is expanding” to accommodate identities like “gender-fluid” to be the most thrilling. lgbtqnation.com
Iconic Lesbian Bar Commemorated
On September 19 Supervisor David Campos, the GLBT Historical Society and a group of Lexington patrons and volunteers unveiled a commemorative plaque honoring the Lexington Club, San Francisco’s iconic lesbian bar that closed last year. Located in front of 3464 19th Street in San Francisco, the plaque recognizes the incredible contribution the Lexington Club made to the LGBT community in San Francisco, particularly in providing a space for queer women and the trans community. Supervisor Campos said, “When the Lexington Club closed after 18 years in operation, it felt like our community lost a leader, family member and friend. Since it closed my office has been working together with the community to create a plaque to honor the legacy of the Lexington, and to celebrate the community it helped create.” The plaque reads: “The Lexington Club, January 31, 1997–April 30, 2015 Here marks the site of the Lexington Club, ‘your friendly neighborhood dyke bar’ where ‘every night is ladies’ night,’ which cultivated a close-knit community among San Francisco’s LGBTQ community over the course of two decades and touched many in this city and beyond. Dedicated on April 29th, 2015 to owner Lila Thirkield and all those who contributed to this vibrant space, with much love from those who treasured it.”
Free Legal Help Offered
by ALRP
AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) has partnered with San Francisco AIDS Foundation to offer free legal help to clients on a drop-in basis twice a month, on the first and last Friday of the month. ALRP provides free civil or legal (not criminal) help for people who self-identify as living with HIV. There is no proof of income or letter of diagnosis needed to access services, and ALRP provides services to people living in San Francisco as well as the six surrounding Bay Area counties. Brandon Lawrence, an attorney for ALRP, encouraged foundation clients to seek advice from ALRP for issues—even if they’re not sure if the issue qualifies as a “legal” one. Most often, ALRP helps clients access public benefits or with insurance issues, with housing rights and to fight evictions, and to create living wills or other healthcare directives. All services that ALRP provides in-house are free. If ALRP provides a referral to another law firm that specializes in a certain type of law (e.g., tax law), those services may be free or provided on a sliding scale. Upcoming ALRP drop-in sessions will be held: Friday, September 30, from 1 pm to 3 pm at Strut (470 Castro Street, 3rd floor); Friday, October 7, from 1 pm to 3 pm at 1035 Market Street (4th floor); and, Friday, October 28, from 1 pm to 3 pm at Strut (3rd floor). sfaf.org/hiv-info
San Francisco Pride Selects Theme for 2017
The 2017 San Francisco Pride theme is going to be “A Celebration of Diversity,” according to community activist and well-known fashion icon Bruce Beaudette and others who attended SF Pride’s meeting this month. Beaudette reported via social media that 30–40 themes were selected before the top five finalists were named. They included: “Pride, Peace and Freedom,” “More Than Marriage,” “San Francisco: Still Queer After All These Years,” “Love Is Love Is Love Is Love,” and the winning theme.
Castro Community On Patrol Celebrating 10 Years of Service
Most citizens have probably noticed members of Castro Community On Patrol (CCOP) walking on patrols around the Castro neighborhood. This month, the organization will celebrate its 10th anniversary with an event on Tuesday, October 4, from 7–10pm at Illy Cafe. Chief of Patrol Greg Carey said, “We have remained relevant, and even vital to the community, as we very quickly switched our primary focus from reacting to the violent assaults that were the impetus to create CCOP, to a long term safety and security enhancement and collaboration focus by working with many community and government organizations at all levels.” Anyone interested in helping CCOP make the neighborhood safer, should volunteer. If you have information on a crime or neighborhood safety issue to share, visit castropatrol.org
NCLR Represents Mother of Deceased Transgender Teen in Lawsuit Against Hospital
San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights and Oakland-based Transgender Law Center, as well as attorneys at Foley & Lardner LLP, are representing Katharine Prescott, the mother of 14-year-old transgender Kyler Prescott, in a lawsuit against Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego (RCHSD). In April 2015, Prescott took Kyler to the hospital following suicidal ideation and for treatment of self-inflicted injuries after an incident of transphobic harassment by his peers. The hospital repeatedly addressed Kyler, who came out to his family as transgender at 13, as a girl, even though staff were previously informed that Kyler was a transgender boy. About five weeks after the hospital visit, Kyler died by suicide. The complaint, filed in federal court in San Diego, states that RCHSD violated federal and California laws by discriminating against Kyler, and that the hospital engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices by claiming that it was experienced in treating transgender patients when, according to the complaint, it discriminated against Kyler and made his condition worse.
nclrights.org,
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